Too much to cope with
by FloseyJS
Summary: The story takes place in Brisingr warning minor spoilers . But what happens if Arya gets pregnant? What will she do? How will she cope? And meanwhile the war between the Varden and Galbatorix is still going strong.
1. It all starts

**_Hi this is my first fan fic so please go easy on me! Hope you like it and please give me some constructive critisism. :D Also just to let you know this starts in chapter 10 of Brisingr when Eragon first spots Arya when she has come looking for him. After that it doesn't really follow the story line very well but please bear with me!_**

**Too much to cope with...**

Chapter 1: It starts;

The inn was crowded and noisey. Arya was sitting at a small table with her back pressed up against the wall behind her. Her hood was pulled up over her head, hiding her face from the surrounding crowd. Four beefy farmers were standing around her two leaning against the wall on either side of her, blocking the only way that she could get away from the table without jumping over it. Another man was sitting opposite her, grinning stupidly, while the other was leaning towards her with his foot on the table. She could smell alcohol on their breath as they attempted to make casual conversation with her.

Two of the men were making very rude, unessesary comments, involving her and them. Though it was obvious she was showing no interest with them what so ever, the alcohol they were drinking seemed to be making them feel over confident. Arya sighed and rolled her eyes as the man sitting opposite her heavily hinted that he would like her to accompany him upstairs.

"I would rather not thank you." she replied. The men were starting to get on her nerves. If they didn't leave her alone soon she was contemplating hurting them. It's amazing how alcohol could change someones personality. They didn't look to her like anyone who would normally behave this way.

The farmers didn't seem to like her answer. They all scowled and the chest of the man sitting opposite her swelled indignantly. The man who was blocking her escape to the left reached up a hand and made to pull back her hood. Instinctively Arya's hand shot up out of her lap to stop the man but then she thought better of it. She couldn't allow the men to see her true strength or speed and in any case, her true identity was fully concealed.

The hood fell back around her neck allowing the men to properly see her face. She was sure that the alternations that she had made to her appearance would fully obscure what she truely was. Suddenly she felt the familiar prod to her metal barriers that meant that someone was attempting to invade her mind. She forced a vicous metal attack back at the intruder and she immediatly reversed the situation so that she was the one in the intruders mind. But this particular mind felt familiar. It took her a split second to realise that the intruder was infact...

"_Eragon!"_ She exclaimed in the confines of his mind. There was no doubting it. It was definately Eragon. The person she had spent the last week searching for had found her first!

_"Arya?" _Said Eragon in return, startled. She glanced around the room and spotted him sitting in a stool at the bar on the opposite wall, starring back at her. Their eyes met, but the crowd of people in the tiny room immediatly converged and hid Eragon from her view.

The four men were still standing around her, looking angry at her earlier refusal. The larger of the men who was still sitting in front of her stood up and said, "Now thats just not good enough now is it?" He gestured to the two men standing either side of her and swiftly sidled her out of the seat that she was in. They each carefuly placed a massive hand on either one of her arms, evidently not wanting to attract unnecessary attention. Arya was taken aback by their abrupt action at first but she felt completely at ease. Little did the men know, but she could probably overpower three times as many as them.

Eragon was making his was through the crowded inn towards them, his face alarmed at the farmers actions. Arya touched his mind again and said, "_Eragon, don't worry. I'll take care of them once we are away from an audience. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."_ Eragon reluctantly stopped where he was before changing his course back to the bar, glancing anxiously over his shoulder at her as he went. Eragon knew perfectly well that Arya could look after herself but that never seemed to stop him from wanting to help.

Arya allowed the men to sidle her off, out of the room and up a staircase that she knew lead to the rooms for rent. One of the men whispered, "Don't do anything stupid now." His voice was thick and slow with the effects of the alcohol he had been drinking. "We won't hurt you, as long as you give us what we want." He gave her a disgusting, slimy grin as the other men laughed loudly. Arya merely rolled her eyes. These men had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

**_Well there you go! My first ever chapter. Hope you like it! Whats gonna happen next? Only I know! :D_**


	2. No Harm Done

_**Ok thanks for the reviews. That was exciting to hear feedback. Umm… now bear with me here ok! I know this chapter is a bit far fetched but it is necessary to create the story line. I know it is a bit ridiculous what happens but I couldn't think of any other was for the story to unfold.**_

**Chapter 2; No harm done**

The four farmers continued to lead Arya along a short hallway once they reached the top of the staircase. They walked to the last door. Arya was just contemplating whether she should act before of after they enter the room when a hand shoved her in the back and forced her inside.

It was dark inside the room; the only light was coming from the street outside and a dim candle flickering on a small table in the corner. It was dingy, with a dirty looking cot in one corner and the small decaying table with the candle on it in the other. She was glad that she had not planned on spending the night at the inn.

Arya was just about to spin around and confront the farmers now that they were alone, when she froze. Sitting at the small, rotting table were three men. They weren't just any men however they were three of the Empires soldiers. Galbatorix's soldiers. They had stood up when the farmers had entered the room apparently not looking for company, but once they had seen Arya standing with them they had lowered themselves back into their chairs smirking.

This immediately put a stop to Arya's plans of escape. For the first time that evening she felt a flutter of panic in her stomach. She knew that she could easily take care of the four farmers and the soldiers but she couldn't. Galbatorix knew that Eragon was out of Surda and hiding in the Empire somewhere. If she killed the soldiers and the farmers it would lead Galbatorix closer to where they were travelling. It would be obvious that it was no ordinary group of travelers who would kill these men. But if she only injured them and escaped the soldiers at least would go to Galbatorix after they figured out who she was.

It took no more than a second for Arya to analyze her situation. All of the farmers in the room were laughing drunkenly. One man shoved her in the back and she allowed herself to fall to the ground. _Please leave! Leave!_ She thought desperately at the soldiers. She couldn't let this happen but she couldn't give away her and Eragon's position either.

She closed her eyes as one of the farmers walked towards where she was lying on the ground. She felt him handling her roughly while the drunken laughter of the other men was still ringing in her ears. The man pulled up the dress that she was wearing. _Oh No_. She tried to block out all feeling so that she wouldn't know what was happening. She didn't want to know what was happening. And to Arya's surprise, she was successful. She managed to block out all thought and feeling of what was going on around her and was only shaken out of her trance by the sound of chairs being pulled along the ground.

Her eyes flicked open and she saw the soldiers standing up from the table. One of them stretched and yawned while the others filed out the door. She felt like yelling at the last man to hurry up but stopped herself as he finally walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

In a split second Arya had grabbed the man who was practically lying on top of her and threw him across the room. He slammed into the opposite wall with a resounding crash! The three other men didn't move a muscle, but merely starred at her, dumbstruck. The largest farmer- who she had just thrown- staggered to his feet, pulling up his pants as he went. Arya glared at the men as she leapt to her feet.

She cast her mind out of herself and felt each farmer's unguarded consciousness. She forced herself into their minds, not taking any care to be gentle, before pocking at the furthest corners of their thoughts. She saw them all shudder and one man actually fell to the ground at a particularly vicious prod. Then she drew herself back out of their minds and they all visibly relaxed. The largest farmer bellowed and ran at her, but Arya merely grabbed him by the throat and threw him back into the now cowering group of men.

They all fell to the ground as the farmer crash down on their heads. Suddenly the door flew open and Arya spun round to see who the intruder was.

Eragon was standing in the doorway looking anxious, his eyes flicking all over the room. "What are you doing here?" Said Arya angrily as Eragon took a step into the room, closing the door behind him. His eyes were focused on the tangled pile of men on the floor.

"You were gone for a long time" he said "I thought you might…" He trailed off as Arya raised her eyebrows at him.  
"You thought I needed your help?" She asked still annoyed at his interruption. Eragon didn't reply, but merely starred as Arya turned back to the men on the floor.

They had managed to get their now unconscious leader off of them and were now sitting helplessly on the dirty wood, too frightened to get up. They recoiled slightly under Arya's furious glare. "Don't ever do that again." She said in a voice ringing with authority. She muttered something under her breath and the men keeled over backwards, unconscious.

She turned to face Eragon who was looking at her, a slightly guilty expression on his face. "I clearly told you to wait for me." She said angrily.  
"You were taking a long time. I wasn't sure if…" He trailed off again, then; "What happened?" He looked at Arya frowning slightly. She sighed, then said;  
"Eragon we have to go. We can find a place to camp outside of Eastcroft." Eragon continued to stare at her, a slight frown on his face as she hadn't answered his question.

He didn't argue however and instead gestured towards the only window in the room. Arya nodded and together they opened it and jumped to the ground some 12 feet below. As they landed they set off running through the deserted town, the only noise being the sounds of their feet beating lightly in the ground.

They made their way towards the outer wall of the town. They found a post that was protruding from the wall and began to navigate their way over it, freezing whenever a watchman walked underneath them. They made it to the top of the wall and dropped lightly to the other side of the palisade. Something clanged together as they landed, coming from Eragon's pack, which Arya took to be armor. Then silent as ghosts they began to skirt the many farms that surrounded the town, avoiding any person they saw.

They finally stopped, well out of sight of the town, in a small hollow. Arya dug a small hole in the earth then muttered "Adurna risa." The hole slowly filled up with water and then she spoke the words for skrying.

Nasuada's face appeared, shimmering upon the surface of the water. Both Arya and Eragon greeted her and she quickly expressed her relief at Eragon being found. Then to both Arya's and Eragon's surprise, she told them that she wanted them to stay in the empire for another three weeks. Shocked Eragon asked "Why my lady?"

"I know this is the last thing that either of you want to do, but we need someone to spy upon the town of Melian. We have received information that tells us, a very important spy of Galbatorix's is hiding out there. Also he is receiving supplies for the soldiers that are being recruited there. It is important that this connection is stopped as it is a great benefit to Galbatorix's efforts. I was hoping that the two of you would be able to take care of this man for me?"

She starred pointedly out at the pair of them and Arya looked at Eragon. "Are you capable of staying in the empire for a few more weeks" she asked. Eragon thought. Though he missed Saphira and her absence was like a constant ache in his chest, he knew that this was very important. Eragon sighed and nodded. Arya turned back to Nasuada and said "We will do it." Nasuada nodded gratefully.

"I understand that it is not perfect timing but it is important." She continued on to give them the details of their mission, making it very clear that she did not want to expose themselves until it is completely necessary to take care of the spy. "Well good luck. I wish for you to contact me everyday if it is possible. If I do not here word from you, two days in a row I shall assume you have been captured." Arya and Eragon nodded then bade her farewell.

Arya let the spell fade and the water drained back into the earth. The she turned around to face Eragon only to find him already starring at her. "What?" she asked raising her eyebrows.  
"What happened" he asked slightly angrily. Arya knew straight away what he was talking about and knowing that she wasn't going to win this argument told Eragon about the soldiers and what had transpired in the inn.

His face became stonier and stonier with every word she said until she thought he might explode from the pressure. Hoping to calm him down she said quickly "Eragon, I don't believe that the farmer managed to… you know. He almost did but I don't think so, so there was no harm done, stop worrying." Eragon didn't look convinced and he said quietly  
"Are you ok?" Arya was surprised by concern that was thick in his voice. She raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Eragon you know it would take a bit more than a close call to upset me."

He nodded then began to pull a blanket out of his pack, occasionally glancing at Arya anxiously over his shoulder. Arya rolled her eyes and pulled a blanket out for herself. They both lay down on the hard ground. She hoped that she wouldn't have to put up with Eragon's concern. She wasn't too sure how she felt about the event herself but it definitely wasn't bothering her too much. She sighed. They had more pressing matters to worry about now. She rolled over and was almost immediately overcome by sleep.

_**I hope that wasn't too bad. Don't worry I will probably skip the mission that Nasuada gave them. That was just to pass time you know! Thanks for reading. Sorry if it's a bit short again!**_


	3. Something's up

_**Hey everyone! This chapter starts to get interesting! Hope your all enjoying it and I love all your reviews! Keep them coming!**_

**Chapter 3; Something's up...**

The warm night air was a pleasant temperature and the trees that surrounded the hollow where Eragon and Arya were camping seemed to sing as the breeze rustled their leaves. They had spent the past three weeks hiding on the outskirts of Melian, spying on the man who was responsible for many deaths within the Varden.

It was easy for Arya and Eragon to gain a vast amount of information from him before they finished him off. He hadn't suspected a thing and Eragon thought that he and Arya should be congratulated on their clean, quick job.

While Eragon was pleased with their job, he was tired, sore and the ache in his chest due to the absence of Saphira was getting more and more painful by the day. He sat down on the hard earth opposite Arya, who was starring, unblinkingly, into the fire. He then set about, muttering numerous spells which gave him some relief from the many aches and pains in his muscles. The blisters on the back of his heels were pointless to mend because they would just be opened again from tomorrows running.

They were a mere three days away from the Varden now but that didn't make their travels any easier. Soldiers were patrolling almost every main road in search of himself and Arya. It had been difficult enough travelling after Galbatorix discovered the deaths of the Ra'zac but since they had killed the spy in Melian, it had become close to impossible.

Arya looked up from the flames in between them and raised a curved eyebrow at Eragon when she found him starring at her. He hadn't even noticed that his eyes had strayed to her perfect complexion.

He and Arya, in Eragon's opinion anyway, had become closer friends after spending a whole three weeks in each others company. He had learnt a lot about her family and childhood and in return she had learnt about his. They had spent almost every night around the fire of their camp telling each other stories and while Arya had been reluctant at first, she was soon talking to Eragon like an old family friend.

Though Eragon was still disappointed by her obvious 'non-attraction' to him, he couldn't help but admire her beauty. The way her hair fell elegantly down her neck, or the gracefulness of her walk. "Sorry" He said, in response to Arya's quizzical look. "Day dreaming."

She dropped her gaze back down to the flames, and then sighed. "I'm tired Eragon." She said looking back up at him. He nodded and she pulled a blanket from her small pack. Eragon mirrored her and within five minutes they had both drifted off.

Eragon awoke the next morning to find the fire covered in dirt. He looked across it and saw Arya's blanket was gone and both their packs were ready waiting. Judging by the amount of light that was visible on the horizon, it was early morning.

He sat up to find Arya sitting cross legged on a log nearby, an apple in her hand. "Where did you find that?" Asked Eragon, surprised. They had been living mainly off the only edible leaves and shrubs that they could find since leaving Melian and that apple looked like one of the most delicious things in the world to Eragon at that moment.

Arya smiled slightly and pulled another apple from behind her, before throwing it to Eragon. He caught it and began eating it immediately. Arya threw the core of hers into the trees behind her and said, "There were about ten apple trees out there." she gestured into the trees, behind which Eragon knew was a wide open field.

She knelt down to lace up her boots before walking over to Eragon, carrying four more apples in her arms. She opened her pack and placed them inside it. Eragon's pack was still extremely weighed down by the armor that he was still carrying from his encounter with the Ra'zac. That seemed like an age ago now.

Arya lifted her pack over her back starring pointedly at Eragon who got the hint and scrabbled out from under his blankets.

They had been running for a good ten hours, only stopping briefly at a small stream to drink. The two of them generally continued running for over twelve hours. They even ran through the night occasionally and the only reason they stopped was due to the blisters on their heels and the other aches and pains in their muscles. Eragon usually didn't get exhausted from all the running. He could run at a steady pace all day if not of the armor in his pack and the constant cross country routs they were forced to use to avoid patrols.

They were just running across a nice, wide, open meadow when Eragon saw Arya stubble beside him. His eyes immediately flicked straight over to her as Arya was always such a graceful runner. It seemed like she floated around obstacles like fallen trees or rocks.

Suddenly Arya's stride was shortening. Alarmed Eragon looked at her face and was shocked to see that she was pale and panting. He pulled up short, just in time to see Arya fall to her knees and throw up violently onto the grass. He rushed over to her, completely bewildered.

She didn't look up as he knelt down beside her, not sure whether he should touch her or not. She was still panting and her forehead was coated in a thin layer of moisture. With her eyes closed, she slowly rolled away from the pool of sick and leaned her back against a nearby tree. Eragon followed her.

He sat anxiously in the grass beside her, not sure what to do. Then, after what felt like an eternity, she opened her eyes and looked as him, perched in front of her like a ridiculous looking bird. She took a deep breath then said "I'm ok." It didn't sound too convincing.  
"Are you sure?" he asked uncertainly "because you don't look very well."

Arya didn't answer but merely closed her eyes again. "What's wrong?" He asked again, "have you caught something?" Arya shook her head slightly and Eragon frowned, getting frustrated. "Then what wrong?" He said, more forcefully.  
"Eragon." said Arya quietly opening her eyes again. "Elves don't get sick. I don't understand any more than you do." Eragon starred at her, open mouthed. If elves couldn't get sick then why did she throw up? She couldn't have thrown up from exhaustion; we were only running for ten hours!

Suddenly Arya stood up. "I feel fine." she said defiantly. Eragon gaped at her. He knew what she was doing of course. It was her personality. Arya hated feeling like she was weak or at a disadvantage in any way and though she didn't show off or speak herself up, she still disliked others treating her like she was less than them. Even if she was sick or exhausted, like now, Eragon knew she would do a lot to make others see that she was capable.

"Arya," he said softly, "I don't think it's such a good idea that we keep running today." He flinched at the furious glare that she gave him but held his position.  
"Eragon." said Arya stiffly, "we need to keep running if we're going to reach the Varden this year." Eragon shook his head and she glared at him still harder.  
"Arya, please. I'm tired and I need a break." He didn't dare say that he didn't feel comfortable with her running all that way at the moment.  
"Let's just take a longer break today. We're only two days away and a few hours won't make too much of a difference." She starred at him some more but seemed to be giving in. Even she couldn't deny that it was probably a bad idea for her to keep running.

Eragon relaxed when she finally sat down opposite him and threw her pack on the ground. He then set about collecting sticks and dried leaves to make a fire and Arya walked off into the trees to find something for them to eat.

'_What could possibly be bad enough to make an elf sick _when_ they're immune to disease?" _He thought as he pilled the twigs he had gathered into a teepee formation. He was worried and his wish to get to the Varden was now stronger that ever, now that it was evident that there must be something wrong with Arya. No matter how much she denied it to him and to herself, something wasn't right.

_**There you have it. Sorry guys but the plan all along was for it not to be Eragon's. That would have caused too much controversy amongst the Varden and Elves. Please review! Next chapter should be coming soon! The next chapter will be in Arya's pov.**_


	4. Return to the Varden

_**Hi again! As promised this chapter is in Arya's point of view. Hope you like it and keep those reviews coming! Sorry it took me a bit longer to update but school just started again on Monday so I sort of got a bit caught up!**_

_**Chapter 4; Back to the Varden…**_

Arya awoke the next morning with sunlight streaming down through the trees; warming her face. She blinked sleepily and rolled over under the blanket that was covering her. She immediately wished she hadn't. A wave of nausea swept over her like a punch to the gut, causing her to gag. She clapped her hand to her mouth and quickly leapt out from under her blankets and to her feet.

She saw Eragon sitting on a nearby fallen log starring at her, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Arya didn't have long enough to take any real notice because she was already sprinting off into the trees. She didn't get very far before the sickness that had been rising up her throat was too much to keep down. She retched behind the nearest tree to her, leaning against it with both hands as she emptied the contents of her stomach. (_**See Authors note at end of chapter before continuing)**_

It was a horrible feeling. Never in her existence had she thrown up, well before yesterday, and it felt like her throat was on fire and the taste was terrible. Finally when the retching stopped she managed to take a deep breath and leant against the cool bark of the oak tree nearest to her. The nausea had faded as quickly as it had come though she was still sweating and her breath was coming in short gasps.

Eragon suddenly came hurrying though the trees towards her. He looked completely bewildered but when his eyes found Arya, leaning limply against the tree, his expression immediately became anxious. He hurried towards her and reached his hands out hesitantly to help her.

Arya threw an arm out to stop him touching her; she was perfectly capable of walking herself. "I'm fine." was all she said, stiffly, and then- still feeling slightly dizzy- she pushed past a completely shocked Eragon back to their camp site.

She sat herself down on the fallen log that Eragon had been sitting on earlier and put her face in her hands. _What is wrong with me? _She thought desperately, _why is this happening? _She heard Eragon approaching from the forest opposite her, but she didn't look up and it wasn't until he heard a soft voice right in front of her say "Arya?" That she finally raised her eyes.

Eragon was crouched down on the grass in front of her looking worried. "Arya?" He asked again, "Are you alright?" Though it was obvious that she wasn't '_alright'_ Arya answered as she always did, "I'm fine Eragon." but there was no real conviction in her voice. She wasn't so sure herself now, but she would never admit that to him.

Obviously Eragon didn't look convinced. He continued to stare at her for a few minutes before opening his mouth to speak, "Arya… I thin" But he didn't get to finish his sentence before Arya cut him off. "I said I'm fine Eragon!" She growled angrily, standing up. Eragon stood up slowly too, but didn't change his position.

"I don't think you are Arya…" he said slowly, hesitantly. Arya could tell that he was afraid that she was about to loose her temper with him, in fact she already had but elves were particularly good at hiding how they felt.

But even that gift wasn't enough at that moment. Arya felt her hard resolve fail. Her face fell and she sighed "Look Eragon" said slowly, as though it was costing her a great deal of effort. "We need to return to the Varden as swiftly as we are able and we cannot afford to waste any more time, especially to do with you worrying about me…" She looked away from him as she finished her sentence and started to heave her pack onto her back.

Eragon stood where he was for a moment longer, thinking. Then, without saying anything, grabbed his pack and together he and Arya continued their journey to Surda.

They had been running for around eight hours. Arya had felt her usual endurance ebbing away in the last half hour. She felt tired, sore and slightly dizzy and though she knew that her body was telling her to stop, she refused to give in to that order.

They were just jumping over a fallen log when her legs finally gave in. She stumbled slightly and ended up on her knees in the red dirt that covered this area outside of Surda. Eragon stopped immediately and hurried back towards her. Arya closed her eyes hard, her breath coming in heavy gasps.

She felt Eragon's hand on her shoulder as he gently pulled her to her feet. For once she allowed him to do so, too tired to care, and was slowly led back towards the log they had just jumped.

It was an ideal place to camp and if Arya had been feeling any better she would have taken more time to appreciate its true beauty. A small stream was bubbling somewhere over to their right and the tall trees that surrounded them emanated some kind of natural beauty.

To her surprise Eragon didn't attempt to console her or once again nag her about what was wrong, but merely walked around the small clearing, gathering sticks for a fire. Arya watched his progress though sleepy eyes and though her insides were aching with worry, the slow rhythmic movements that Eragon was making soothed her.

The next thing Arya knew it was day break. _What! I slept all night! What is becoming of me? _The sense of dread and worry immediately refilled the pit of her stomach as she sat slowly up. There was a blanket draped over her, which she realized, must have been put there by Eragon.

She slowly looked around the clearing and spotted Eragon sitting up sleepily, rubbing his eyes, on the other side of the fire's remains.

He seemed shocked to see Arya awake and immediately made his way over to her. She gave him a slight, unsure smile as he approached to show that she was fine and then slowly stood up, allowing the blanket to fall to the ground.

Eragon stopped and smiled at her, apparently glad that she was ok, then started gathering together something for breakfast. Arya stretched then set about helping him in an attempt to clear away the sense of unease that now surrounded her.

It wasn't until they were both sitting down opposite each other, food in their hands, that a word was spoken. "We're only six hours away from the Varden now." said Eragon glancing up at Arya as he spoke. Arya knew that he was saying this as more of a consolidation to her than a general comment.

"Good. You shall get to see Saphira soon." She smiled at him as she saw his face visibly light up at the comment. He nodded enthusiastically and they continued their meal in silence. Arya was surprised by the fact that Eragon now seemed to be choosing to ignore her apparent illness just as much as she was. Maybe it was just to make her feel better…

They set off running about ten minutes later and by an unspoken agreement, kept away from all roads. Arya had been able to ward off her sense of helplessness and worry throughout the morning's activities, but as they settled back into a steady rhythm of running, all the unpleasant thoughts and feelings returned to her.

No matter how hard she tried to distract herself there was always that constant tug at the back of her mind and eventually she gave up and allowed herself to be swallowed up by her unease.

Obviously it was a relief when they finally saw the Varden's outline on the horizon and although Arya was feeling exhausted she eagerly picked up the pace as they ran at inhuman speed towards safety.

_**There you go. I know it was a rather boring pointless chapter and nothing happened but it was just mainly a space filler. Please review.**_

_**A/N: Yea I know what you're all probably thinking. She has no idea what she's talking about! but don't worry. I know that morning sickness and all that doesn't happen this early in real life, but just remember that Arya's an elf… ;)**_


	5. What!

_**Well hi again everybody! I know that you are all probably hating me at the moment but plz believe me when I say I'm sorry!! School is a bit crazy at the moment and block exams are coming up so I'm studying a lot. Don't worry tho I have summer holidays for two months soon so I'll be able to get a lot of work done then.**_

**Chapter 5; What!**

Arya bounded forward, even though she was exhausted, towards the Varden's temporary gates. Both she and Eragon could see the commotion at the wall, with their unnaturally enhanced eyes, as guards started to spot them. A minute later Nasuada appeared on horseback at the gates, surrounded by her many guard.

Arya picked up the pace yet again and Eragon easily kept with her. It was only then that she realized how slow she really must have been running for Eragon to be able to easily catch up like that. This revelation sent her temporarily good mood plummeting back to Earth.

They finally reach the Varden about five minutes later even though there had been less than a league to cover. Arya stopped gratefully next to Eragon, in front of Nasuada's large thoroughbred.

She attempted to conceal how tired she actually was and managed to stand up straight, with her usual unfaltering mask in place. Nasuada swung her leg back over the horse and slid gracefully down the side of it, before pacing around to stand in front of them.

Her arms were still heavily bandaged and though she still looked her noble self, Arya could see the faint signs of strain and worry within her dark eyes. Eragon was eyeing the bandages on Nasuada's arms, having not been at the Varden during the trial of the long knives.

Nasuada noticed the starring but merely said, "Welcome back, Eragon shadeslayer and Arya. You have both been sorely missed."

Eragon bowed to her before saying, "It is a relief to be back my lady." Arya nodded curtly in agreement.

Nasuada turned to Arya and said "Thank you Arya. I appreciate you going and finding him." A small smile played across Arya's lips at these words as Eragon scowled.

Nasuada smiled slightly and then said, "Aye, Galbatorix may have a Rider and dragon who fight for him even as Eragon and Saphira fight for us. But for all his wicked power, he could not stop Eragon and Saphira from invading his realm and killing four of his most favored servants and one spy, nor Eragon from crossing the Empire with impunity."

Arya grinned to herself at Nasuada's attempts to keep the peace between everyone, making Eragon forget his earlier anger with compliments. She really was a great leader.

Suddenly there was the sound of approaching horsemen from behind the Nasuada and King Orrin came into view, galloping towards them. He dismounted his horse and rushed forward, formally greeting Eragon and Arya, looking extremely relieved to see them.

When all formal greetings and congratulations were done, Nasuada turned to Eragon and Arya and said, "Eragon, it is expected that you will be at the pavilion by twilight. As a rider it is necessary for you to make certain appearances. Arya, you are also invited to attend as most people are expecting you to." Arya nodded, dismayed. She had not been hoping for company tonight. Eragon looked equally unhappy and she could tell that he was itching to get to Saphira and spend some time with her.

Nasuada noticed their less that happy reactions and said understandingly, "I know that it is unpleasant but it is necessary. I will see both of you later."

They both nodded and at that moment there was a massive thump on the Earth behind them and the ground trembled. They turned round to see Saphira folding her wings, blue scales glittering in the sunlight.

Eragon bounded forward, a huge smile on his face, as they conversed within their minds. He flung his arms around her massive neck and stayed like that for a while.

Nasuada bid them farewell and left with King Orrin, back into the Varden. When Eragon released Saphira, Arya twisted her hand into the traditional elvin greeting, saying, "greetings Saphira." She felt the familiar touch on her mind as Saphira answered happily.

Eragon leapt lightly onto her back and looked down at Arya, unsure. Arya forced a smile onto her face saying, "Go Eragon, you deserve a break." He smiled in thanks and together he and Saphira took off into the sky.

Arya watched them go until they were no more than a black dot in the sky, then turned on her heel and walked back through the gates, intending to spend some time alone in her tent.

This area of the Varden was almost deserted and she only passed a few people as she walked. She assumed that everyone was either preparing for dinner or some other evening activity.

She was just walking through a small gap between a large tent and another personal tent, when a breeze brought the smell of cooking meat in her direction. The smell filled her nostrils, causing her to gag and before she could stop herself she was throwing up all over the grass in between the two tents.

She stood up panting after a minute or so and to her horror, found Angela, the herbalist, standing at the end of the small passage way she was in. Her eyes were wide with shock as she starred at Arya, who swiftly stood not quite sure what she would say.

Angela's werecat wound its way through her legs, also starring up at Arya. Arya was just contemplating whether or not to just walk away when Angela gestured for her to follow her and disappeared from view.

Confused, Arya deliberated, before sighing and heading after the herbalist and her cat. She spotted Angela standing in the doorway to a tent nearby and quickly followed her inside.

The tent was filled with a large array of strange, exotic plants. They covered every square inch available, along with cauldrons and pots boiling all sorts of unusual mixtures, causing a slightly acidic smell to waft through the air.

Angela made her way to the back of the tent where a small table sat. She took two mugs from a nearby cupboard and filled them with a substance from one of the cauldrons. Arya watched the herbalist moving around the tent, not quite sure if she should have come after all. What was she supposed to say?

Angela sat down at the table and stared at Arya. She got the point and sat down at the only other seat at the table, politely taking the mug that was offered to her. Angela took a sip from her mug, not taking her eyes off of Arya.

There were a few minutes awkward silence until finally Angela spoke, "I expect that you travelled well?" She raised her eyebrows when Arya did not immediately respond. In actual fact Arya had not had a good journey on their way back to the Varden, but she didn't feel like going into the matter just then.

"It went well." She said simply. There was another pause and Arya took a sip from her mug, wanting to do something other than just sit there. She had to stop herself from gagging. The blue colored substance tasted quite foul.

The were cat leapt nimbly up onto the table, placing himself near Angela, and began to stare at Arya intently. Arya, starting to feel uncomfortable with all these eyes on her, finally spoke. "How have things fared here? I have been quite out of touch with the Varden's tidings for a while now."

Angela did not answer. She merely continued to stare at her, a curious expression on her face. Arya was starting to get really annoyed now. She was wondering whether or not she should walk out when a thought occurred to her. Angela knew a lot about the land of Algaesia. She always seemed to understand things that arose and there was a chance that she may also know what was happening to her.

She opened her mouth, closed it again, then finally made up her mind and said, "Angela, as you have obviously noticed, there has been something strange happening to me lately. I don't understand it. Do you know of anything that could be wrong?"

Once again Angela didn't speak for a while, then finally, she ran her fingers through her hair and said, in a questioning voice, "But Arya, I know as well as you that elves do not get ill. So the question is not whether I know if anything is wrong, it should be me asking what is wrong with you."

Arya stared at Angela for a moment, attempting to process what she meant, and then said, "I have found myself throwing up every morning, getting tired far too easily and feeling sick at the smell of meat." She wasn't quite sure if this was what Angela had wanted her to say, but saw no harm in doing so.

Angela rested her chin on her fist and said, "How long has this been happening?" Arya thought then said, "Almost a week."  
"And do you feel ill all the time or just in the mornings?" Arya had to think for a moment and then realized, "Yes, only in the morning. How strange…"

She looked up at the herbalist and saw that she had sat bolt upright in her chair, her eyes wide with shock. Arya raised her eyebrows, puzzled by her sudden reaction, and asked, "What is it Angela?"

Angela once again didn't answer her but merely looked her up and down, disbelief still etched all over her face. Arya found this slightly unnerving. She had never seen Angela show shock before, as she almost always knew what was going on.

Angela blinked hard, as though attempting to see if she was awake or not, before saying, "Arya… I believe that I may have the answer as to what is wrong."

_What could be so wrong that it makes her shocked like this? _Arya looked skeptically at her, waiting for her to divulge what she knew but she said nothing, merely continued to stare at her.

Annoyed at her silent staring, Arya asked, "What is it Angela, you can't not tell me now."

Angela nodded slowly, then said, "Arya, do not set too much store by this as I have very little knowledge on the topic, at least when it is associated with elves, but… well I…" Arya stared at her, feeling uneasy. She had never seen Angela behaving in such a way.

"Well Arya, the only explanation that I can come up with, and I am fairly certain that it is the only explanation… but I think… well I think that you are… well umm… pregnant."

_**Finally is all I can say. Sorry again that it took me so long to update. But just two more weeks and I'll be away from school for two months! YAY! Sorry that it's a bit of a cliffy. :D**_


	6. AN

**Sorry Guys just an Authors Note**

**Well I'm glad you guys like the chapter, it's not that great but they will get better! Yea well I need to answer a few of your questions which is why I am posting. Ok. Now as I said I will have holidays in two weeks but I'm not sure if I will be able to update before then. I'm really sorry to those of you who wanted me to but study comes first! :P and to ****Macsek92****, I live in Australia. It's summer over Christmas here. So we get two months off now. Yea I know, different to America much!! Ha. Well, next chapter will be in a little bit of Eragon's and a little of Arya's POV I think. And yes I'm excited to write about how Arya is going to react too! Well thanks to all you of who are reading. I really appreciate the reviews. See you when I resurface from study!**


	7. Shock

_**GUESS WHAT!?! I'm officially on holidays!! YAY! Haha. So lots of writing to do I think! Well, this chapter is still in Arya's point of view, because she is a very interesting character at the moment. And also you'll probably kill me if I skip to Eragon after what happened in the last chapter. ENJOY!**_

**Chapter 6: Shock**

Everything was silent. Arya's mind was blank, and Angela was sitting stock still, staring at Arya. _Surely I didn't hear what I think I just heard. That's just absurd! _For the first time in a long time, Arya's usual unreadable mask was gone and replaced by blank shock.

She blinked hard a couple of times, shook her head slightly, and then looked up at Angela again as through expecting to have been awoken from a dream. "But that's not possible…" said Arya quietly, breaking the silent tension within the room. Solembum was still sitting on the table, his lamp like eyes were wide and piercing.

Angela was looking just as shocked at her own theory as Arya was when she said, "Arya, there really is no other way to ask this, but have you… been with anyone recently?" Arya looked affronted at the question, why was it any of her business! She gave Angela an angry glare before actually putting any thought into the question. NO! She hadn't! So why had Angela come to an impossible conclusion?

Arya was staring into space, lost in thought, when sudden realization hit her like a punch to the gut. In that moment all of her surroundings seemed to be pressing in on her, her stomach seemed to drop out of her and onto the ground, because the only explanation for Angela's theory was almost too terrible for Arya to comprehend.

The memory of that night, just over three weeks ago, was suddenly fresh in her mind. She could remember every detail, every feeling, but she wished she couldn't, because now she had a reason to remember that night…

Angela was still staring at her, something close to curiosity on her face now, but Arya barely noticed. She was completely caught up in her own terrible thoughts, trying to convince herself that it wasn't true, but no matter how she worded her excuses, she could not deny how perfectly the theory fitted into everything else. The sickness, the tiredness, getting upset far too easily.

She felt like she was going to be sick. Not morning sickness sick, but sick at the thought of what those men did to her, sick at the thought that she let it happen! The room was spinning now and she barely heard Angela's worried voice asking, "Arya. Are you well?" _NO OFCOURSE I'm NOT WELL!!!_ How could she be well?!? She'd just received the worst news that she was ever likely to get!

Arya blinked hard again, attempting to stop her head from spinning and trying, in vain, to straighten out the great tangle of thoughts that seemed to be bursting to escape her mind.

Arya finally forced herself to stare into the herbalists face, with a look of complete pain in her eyes. Angela looked shocked yet again, at Arya's obvious distress, but also a knowing look, like she knew exactly what was wrong.

That look made Arya want to reach across the table and throttle her. How could she be so calm when the situation was far from normal? Arya's breath was coming in short gasps now as she started to panic. Angela reached a hand out across the table and placed it on Arya's, afraid that she would start to hyperventilate. Angela thought that she had a good idea why Arya was acting so terribly to the news and though she was almost dying of curiosity, she forced herself to remain quiet.

Arya was staring down at the table top now, her eyes wide, and breathing hard. She had never lost her composure this drastically before now. It took her a few minutes of staring at the table before she calmed down slightly and managed to look up at Angela.

In no more than a whisper Angela said, "Arya, you'll need to tell him." Arya's head jerked up to stare at her, "What?" she said in complete disbelief, as though she wasn't sure if she had heard her correctly. "You need to tell him." Said Angela again, more loudly this time.

"Tell who?" asked Arya, her confusion overcoming her shock. "Eragon." said Angela in an understanding voice, as though she was talking to a five year old. "Why would I tell Eragon?" asked Arya completely bewildered as to why Angela would suggest such a thing.

"He has a right to know, Arya" she said, still in that annoyingly understanding voice. "No he doesn't." said Arya. Eragon was the last person that she was thinking about at that moment, she had no idea why he should have any right what so ever to know.

"You can't just keep this from him, he needs to know." said Angela, more urgently now. Arya gaped at her; there was no way that she was telling Eragon. He had next to no right to know at all! Why would he need to know? They something seemed to click in Arya's mind and she realized what Angela was getting at.

"Angela NO!" said Arya, aghast. How could she even think that? The very idea of her thinking that it was Eragon's, ERAGON'S of all people, made her feel even worse. It was Angela's turn to be confused now. "Angela! Why would you even assume that? Eragon and I have no relationship other than being friends! We are completely different!"

Angela now looked slightly sheepish, ashamed of herself. "My apologies Arya, I am sorry, I should not have jumped to such a hasty decision. I was out of line." Arya was taken aback by the apology, but accepted it all the same.

"It's just," Angela continued, "he's the only person that I would believe you to be close to, especially since you have not returned to _Ellesmerea is such a while."_

_Arya felt a flush creeping up her cheeks at discussing her supposed sex life with Angela of all people, but she couldn't stop tears welling up in her eyes as she talked about a person who she had ____wished__ to be with, because she now wished more than anything that that was the reason behind what had happened. Not because of some strange human whom she doesn't have a name for._

Angela didn't seem to notice that Arya was upset when she asked, "If you don't mind me asking Arya… umm… who, I mean… which… umm… who is the father?" At these words, Arya couldn't stop a solitary tear from escaping down her cheek. The word _father_ had sent a shiver up and down her spine, she did not want to be a mother, she had never even thought about being one in the future, let alone now.

Angela was still looking at her expectantly. With a great effort Arya looked down at her hands in her lap and whispered, "I don't know."

_**There you guys. Sorry it's a bit short, but I need to go to Eragon's POV now. At least that's given you a fix for a while. Please review and tell me what you think. Also if you have any suggestions I'd be happy to consider them. Thanks guys! See you later!**_


	8. Questions

_**Hi again! Hope you guys enjoy! This chapter isn't anything too important, but it's nice and long. It's more to show how Eragon feels about Arya more than anything and Arya's stubbornness that we all love!**_

**Chapter 7: Questions**

The wind was causing Eragon's hair to fly backwards out of his eyes as Saphira pulled her wings inwards, towards her body, and went into a steep dive, causing the specks that were the Varden to grow larger and larger until she flung her wings back out in the nick of time and they sped along flat, inline with the ground.

The sun was setting now and the only reason that they were returning to the ground was the fact that Nasuada wanted them at the pavilion. Saphira landed gracefully on the ground and Eragon slid down her side and onto the hard earth.

He still donned the tunic that he had been wearing during his and Arya's hard day of running and needed to change quickly before heading off. It took a lot of effort for him to just be away from Saphira for the time it took him to walk into his tent and change. Now that they had been reunited after such a long time apart, their wish to be together was stronger than usual.

"_Come along little one." _said Saphira in Eragon's mind, _"We don't want to be late."_ Eragon grabbed the sword that he had been using ever since Zar'roc had been stolen from him and fastened it around his waist, before heading swiftly out of the tent and towards an impatient Saphira.

"_I'm coming, and Nasuada can wait, I'm more worried about spending time with you at the moment." _Saphira puffed a stream of smoke out of her nostrils, but Eragon could tell that she was pleased. He pulled himself up onto her back once more, grinning, and she took off, quickly gliding through the cool night air, towards the large tent where the festivity was to be held.

They landed quietly and Eragon leapt from the saddle, just as Nasuada walked out of the tent towards them. "Good evening Shadeslayer and Saphira." said Nasuada politely, bowing her head slightly towards each of them. "Good evening Nasuada." said Eragon, bowing in respect as Saphira projected her voice into Nasuada's mind, "Good evening Nasuada."

Nasuada dropped her polite pretence and said in a more friendly voice, "I appreciate you both coming tonight. I understand that you both wish to catch up with each other but this is necessary. There are a lot of important people here tonight all hoping to speak to you."

"_Great," _thought Eragon, _"Just what I need." _Saphira chuckled deep in her throat and said, _"Just one night little one and then we can spend the entire day in each others company tomorrow." _Nasuada looked between the two of them with an understanding gleam in her eye, before turning on her heel and leading the way into a brightly lit tent.

A large window was open on its side, through wish Saphira put her head so that she could join in and look upon the scene inside. There was a large table that stretched the length of the tent, laden with all sorts of regular and exotic foods. There was a slightly orange glow cast around the area, caused by the many lamps and candles hanging from the ceiling and sitting on most available surfaces that weren't taken up by food and people.

Many men and women were crowded into the tent, dressed in the finest garments, and all having a certain authority about them. But all of them went quiet when Eragon and Nasuada entered and many leapt a mile into the air when Saphira's head entered into their midst.

There was a tense silence, but then, suddenly, Eragon found himself shaking hands with every person in the room, all of them wanting to talk to him, congratulate him, and prove that they were on his side. And while they all seemed to be showing their support and appreciation for him, he couldn't help but think that they were only attempting to get themselves credit by meeting with him.

It took almost an hour for the fiasco to settle down, by which time Eragon's throat was parched and he found himself talking to a daft old man who sounded like he had had a little too much to drink.

He was just contemplating whether or not just to fall asleep then and there when he spotted Arya entering the tent over the man's shoulder. He couldn't stop his jaw from dropping open slightly at the sight of her. She looked amazing. Amazing was an understatement.

Eragon watched as Arya walked slowly into the tent and was greeted by Nasuada. She smiled at her politely, twisting her hand over her sternum in the traditional elven greeting, but there was something forced about her smile. Eragon's grin that had sprung onto his face at the sight of her slid into a frown.

There was definitely something wrong. Arya did seem her usual self at first glance, but Eragon had spent so much time in her company over the last few weeks that he could definitely tell that she wasn't herself.

It was little things like, the way her forced smile faltered and fell away the moment that the person she was talking to turned away and then it sprung back onto her face the moment the next person caught her attention. And there was something about the way she was holding herself to, but Eragon couldn't explain it, even to himself.

"Shadeslayer?" With a jolt, Eragon realized that he had not heard a word of what the old man in front of him had been saying. He looked back over to him, flustered, just as he said, "Dragon rider do you agree?" realizing that he had absolutely no idea what the man was asking he said hurriedly, "Yes." The old man looked affronted which Eragon took to mean that that was the wrong thing to say, but he wasn't worried about that at that point in time.

"Would you excuse me for a moment?" He said quickly, as the old man opened his mouth to say something. Without waiting for a reply, he stepped around the man and walked towards the place where Arya was now standing, talking to King Orrin.

"Greetings Arya." said Eragon happily; when he was close enough for him to hear her. She and the king both turned at his voice. He walked towards them, smiling at Arya, but she didn't smile back, merely keeping that false, half-hearted grin on her face.

"Greetings Shadeslayer!" said Orrin happily. Eragon had a strong suspicion he had been drinking to. "Greetings." said Arya, twisting her hand into the elven greeting. He frowned at her, and she looked away from him quickly and said to the king, "I expect that you and Eragon have a lot to catch up on, I don't wish to disturb you." and without waiting for a reply she walked swiftly away, towards the other end of the tent.

Eragon took a step after her, but was stopped by King Orrin's hand on his shoulder. "Well Eragon, I do wish to hear plenty about your travels over the last few weeks!" Eragon cast one helpless glance after Arya, then sighed, turning back to the king.

***

Though Eragon attempted to pay attention to everyone who he talked to as the night continued, he couldn't stop his eyes from straying to where ever Arya happened to be standing. Saphira seemed to notice his preoccupation, _"Eragon, why are you so distracted? The most important people in Surda are talking to you and you're not even listening to them!" _

Eragon replied, to her without letting his eyes travel from the lady and her husband in front of him, _"Have you not noticed how she is behaving? It is absurd, unnerving! I cannot for the life of me find a reason for it. What could have happened in the last hour that has caused her to portray how she is feeling in such a way? She never does that and you know it. All elves are the same."_

Saphira grunted in exasperation and said, _"Eragon. What you do not realize is that her behaviour is _not _obvious. You only notice these things because you alone know what to look for. No one else in this room has any problem with her, so she is _not _portraying how she is feeling for everyone to see, merely you!"_

Eragon didn't reply. Saphira was right of course, but he was not going to admit that to her, not when he had been so firm in his resolve just a moment ago. He merely sighed and once again attempted in vain to give the people in front of him his full attention.

***

It was some time later that Nasuada finally bade everyone goodnight and people began leaving the tent. Eragon's mind felt like a wrung sponge. He was tired, sick of talking and worried about Arya and it was with relief that he said goodnight to Nasuada and began making his way towards the exit.

He spotted Arya ten meters ahead of him and began forcing his way through the crowd towards her. The only trouble was that people kept pulling his aside and bidding him goodnight and good luck. This happened so often that by the time he finally escaped from the tent, Arya was no where to be seen.

Saphira was waiting for him a few meters away where people were giving her a wide berth and nodding their polite farewells from a large distance away. Eragon hurried over to her and asked, _"Where did she go?" _Saphira rolled her eyes, knowing exactly who he was talking about without having to ask.

"_She headed back towards her tent." _Eragon turned away from her and began walking quickly in that direction. _"Eragon!" _said Saphira angrily. He turned back to face her, annoyed. _"What?" _he said quickly, looking over his shoulder in the direction that Arya had gone.

"_Little one, please think before you act! Yes there may be something wrong, but that does not give you the right to go and attempt to find out what it is. You know that she won't tell you. She'll probably get angry. You need to understand that while you may want to ask her, she most probably won't want to tell you and you will just go and make things tense between the two of you again!"_

Eragon was angry now, _"Saphira. Something is wrong and I don't just want to sit here and not know! I want to see if I can fix it."_

"_Eragon." _said Saphira, and her voice was soothing now, almost understanding. _"She has already told you that she is not interested, please don't go and do something rash."_

Eragon stared up at her for a moment and she looked right back, then without another word, he turned on his heel and headed after Arya.

He broke into a run once he was out of sight and found her walking slowly between the tents, some way up the path. He slowed to a brisk walk and called, "Arya! Wait." She turned around, her eyes widened when she saw who it was walking towards her.

"What is it Eragon?" She said in a tired voice, as though she had expected this to happen at some point. He took the last few steps at a run and stopped right in front of her. "Are you alright?"

Pain flashed through Arya's eyes but it was so brief that Eragon wondered if he had really seen it. "I am fine Eragon." she said, her voice slightly icy, as though daring him to continue. Eragon wasn't deterred.

"Arya, what's wrong. You have been acting strangely all night and every time I have tried to speak to you you've just looked the other way. You can't tell me that there is nothing wrong." He looked into her eyes hard, as though attempting to see right through them and into her mind.

"There is nothing wrong Eragon! And if there was it is none of your business what so ever!" she snapped at him. "Well there has to be something wrong. Why else would you be acting so stra-" but he stopped when he realized that through Arya's cold, hard exterior, she suddenly looked on the verge of tears.

"I… umm… I" He couldn't speak, didn't know what to say. "Goodnight Eragon." said Arya, in a flat, emotionless voice, and without so much as a glance back over her shoulder she headed out of sight, leaving Eragon standing where he was, his mind racing.

_**There you go guys! Told you it was a pretty long chapter. Well longer than any of the others anyway. Plz let me know what you think, REVIEW!! haha. You owe me that much considering that I am updating faster than ever! Thanks for reading! Catch you soon.**_


	9. A Terrible Day

_**Hello again. I'm terribly sorry that it's taken me so long to update this time. I did say that I was on holidays and that I would have plenty of time, but I didn't realise that I would have this much of a social life! Well I hope you enjoy. More drama coming up!**_

_**Chapter 8: A Terrible Day**_

Arya awoke the next morning and it took her awhile to figure out why she felt so sore and miserable, but then, to her intense dislike, the memories of the previous night came back to her and she immediately wished that she could fall back to sleep and never wake up.

She shut her eyes hard against the glare from the sun that was streaming in through the gap in her tent flap and tried hard to organise the thoughts that were travelling through her head, making her confused and disorientated.

With a huge effort she sat up on her cot but had to jump to her feet immediately as nausea flooded through her stomach. She wrenched the flap to the tent aside and practically fell into a small patch of bushes just to the right of the entrance as she threw up.

When she finally resurfaced and looked around, there was no one insight and she managed to slip back into the tent without any one being any the wiser. She took a deep breath in through her nose, closing her eyes, but couldn't stop the onslaught of emotions that came tumbling down on her like a tonne of rocks.

She walked over to a small, temporary basin that sat next to her cot and slammed her fist down on it hard. A small crack appeared in the wood but Arya barely even noticed it. She opened her eyes and stared at her reflection in the small, spotted mirror above the basin.

She had to admit that she looked awful. Her eyes were slightly red around the edges and there were so many dried tear tracks down her face that they had all merged together so that it looked like a puddle had dried on her cheeks. As she watched, another solitary tear made its way down her face to her chin, before falling into the basin below.

She took another deep breath in through her nose in an attempt to calm herself. In actual fact the anger and frustration that she'd felt had melted away almost immediately, only to be replaced by a sense of complete and utter helplessness. Arya almost wished that the anger would return so that she could drown away these horrible feelings.

Her hands started to shake yet again as she slid onto her cot, not trusting herself enough to stand. No matter how hard she had tried to distract herself last night, no matter how many times she told herself everything would be alright, that she didn't even know if Angela's theory was correct yet, there was a part of her that had absolutely no doubt that she _was _correct.

A strangled sob escaped her chest as she attempted to calm herself down, with each attempt becoming increasingly pitiful. She _couldn't _tell herself that everything was fine when it wasn't. It was almost the exact opposite of fine. It would be bad enough if this had happened to her in an ordinary situation, but she _wasn't_ in an ordinary situation.

She was an elf! She was the elf ambassador! But even worse than that, she was the rightful heir to the elven throne. This thought caused another sob to escape her lips. Being an elf made this so much more of a problem because children were so rare. To an elf, having a child was the ultimate sign of love and devotion to your mate, and Arya didn't even have that. It was unethical in her race_._

Arya had never imagined herself being a mother. She knew deep down that she would have to produce an heir some day, but she had hundreds of years to contemplate that. Her mother had had her when she was over six hundred after all. But she was barely a century old, let alone six! She was still considered young in her race.

She closed her eyes hard, attempting to block out all thought and feeling. But what did this mean to her career as ambassador? If she truly was-…, she couldn't even bring herself to think the word, how was she supposed to carry out her duties? This would not put her in a good light with the Varden at all. Helping to bring down Galbatorix was her _life_. She had devoted a huge majority of her being to the cause and it seemed to her that that was about to end.

She opened her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath, before jumping lightly to her feet, ignoring the vertigo caused by the swift movement. She walked over to the basin again and splashed her face with water, washing the dried tears away.

***

Eragon was leaning against Saphira's warm side, both of them completely content to be in each other's company. They were in a small clearing that Saphira had found in a forest behind Eragon's tent. There was a small pond spread out in front of them, taking up almost half of the space, and a large oak tree stood behind it, casting it's reflection into the crystal clear water.

Eragon let out a deep sigh as Saphira hummed deep in her chest. He was sure that she was drifting in and out of consciousness. Though Eragon was feeling perfectly at ease, he couldn't help the constant little tug in the back of his mind, like an annoying fly that just wouldn't go away.

He was still worried about Arya. The look on her face before she had walked away from him had been haunting his thoughts all night. He knew it was none of his business, as Saphira constantly reminded him, but he couldn't help his feelings. It was involuntary.

He sighed again and Saphira opened one beady eye to stare at him. _"Stop thinking about her little one. You will only cause yourself more worry that what is necessary. I've missed you, but I feel like you're not entirely back yet. It's rather annoying."_

She let out a puff of smoke from her nostrils to show her irritation. Eragon smiled sleepily at her. _"I'm sorry. I've missed you to. More than you know I think." _He gave her a cheeky sort of smile, knowing that this would aggravate her still more. She let out a low chuckle, deep within her chest and said, _"I don't think that is possible Eragon."_

He smiled but didn't answer back, knowing that the argument would last a good ten minutes. He stretched and put his hands behind his head as a pair of dragonflies drifted lazily over the surface of the pond.

Saphira closed her eye again, obviously happy with her victory. They sat in silence for a time, as Eragon attempted to keep his thoughts from straying to Arya for the millionth time that morning.

About fifteen minutes later, Saphira raised her head and sniffed in the direction of the Varden. _"Ah, I do believe that breakfast is finally being served!" _They had gotten up rather early this morning. I actual fact, the sun had only risen above the level of the trees about an hour ago, so a majority of the Varden was still in bed.

Eragon got up to his feet eagerly, only just noticing how hungry he was. Saphira got up quickly as Eragon scrambled onto her back. A moment later they were soaring through the air, above the Varden's camp. Saphira circled for a moment until she spotted a place to land close to the large tent that served as a mess hall.

There were only a few people around to stare as Eragon and Saphira landed gracefully on a patch of grass just near the entrance to the tent. Saphira couldn't fit inside the tent entrance, but all it took was for Eragon to walk inside and someone immediately came hurrying over to serve the two of them.

"Good morning shadeslayer," said a rather porky man, bowing slightly. "Good morning," said Eragon, smiling at the man. "Saphira and I would like some breakfast if it's not too much trouble?" The man stumbled over his words slightly in his eagerness to respond, "Yes of course sir!"

Generally Eragon would have refused such service and would have sat down normally with the rest of the Varden, or else gone to Roran's tent as Katrina was an excellent cook. But he wasn't in the mood to sit without Saphira today.

The man hurried away and Eragon followed as he led him out the back of the tent where the Varden's many cooks were working furiously. Many dead animals hung from hooks and some still sat unskinned on the floor. Saphira came around the side of the tent just then, causing the chubby man to jump slightly. Saphira stood just as tall as the large tent these days and Eragon supposed she did look rather menacing.

He bowed to her before turning to Eragon and asking, "What can I get the two of you today?" He glanced nervously at Saphira from the corner of his eye as he spoke.  
"I will have whatever is being served to the rest of the men this morning if you are able, and as for Saphira, ask her yourself."

He knew that Saphira got annoyed when people treated her like she was some kind of animal and he smiled slightly as a shocked expression crossed the man's face. He turned to Saphira and Eragon couldn't tell if he was frightened or if he felt ridiculous talking to a dragon. Probably a bit of both.

"Umm..." said the man, he glanced quickly back at Eragon as though to see if he was joking or not, but when it was obvious that he was serious he faced Saphira again. "What can I get you this morning Dragon?"

Saphira puffed another stream of smoke out of her nostrils, before, to Eragon's surprise, projecting her voice into the man's mind. _"I would like one of the unskinned cow's that you have hanging over there if it is possible please." _The little man jumped a mile in the air at the voice that he suddenly heard within his head. It seemed to take him a while to figure out that it was Saphira that he was hearing.

"Umm... of course, anything you want." He glanced between the two of them again before hurrying off to get their breakfast. _"What was that?" _asked Eragon in surprise.  
_"Well he was behaving rather rudely and I thought that it might do him some good to get a good shock for once."_

Eragon shook his head, grinning, as the little man came hurrying back with a plate of eggs and bacon in his hand and two men dragging the cow behind him. He handed the plate to Eragon, who thanked him, then watched in awe as Saphira sniffed the cow below her, then took it into her jaws and swallowed it whole.

Eragon thanked the men again as he and Saphira turned away from their shocked expressions and walked back out the patch of grass in front of the tent. _"Barely even a bite." _Sniffed Saphira, unhappily. _"I'll have to go hunting tomorrow I think. I cannot eat nearly enough here as most of the food is needed to feed the people." _

Eragon frowned. He didn't like the idea of the two of them being apart for any space of time and her hunting was bound to take up a vast majority of the day. _"Ok. If you have to." _He said slowly, taking a mouthful of egg. _"I'll fly as fast as I am able," _she said, seeing right through him as usual. It was hard to keep any secrets when your minds were so closely linked.

They sat in silence while Eragon finished his breakfast. When he was done Saphira asked, _"What do you wish to do today? I don't believe that Nasuada will bother us after last night. She knows that you need a break." _Eragon sat in thought for a moment trying to decide but he really couldn't think of anything.

"_Any suggestions?" _He asked. Saphira chuckled deep in her throat at his incompetence whenever it came to making decisions. _"I am happy little one, as long as we are together."_

"_Why don't we try and find Roran? I haven't spoken to him since I got back and I'm sure he'd probably track me down eventually." _They stood up and Eragon stretched. He was just letting out a long yawn when he spotted Arya walking down a path that he knew led to Nasuada's tent. He watched her walk until she disappeared behind a large tent.

Saphira noticed his preoccupation and let a huffed in an annoyed sort of way. _"Eragon! After last night I would have thought that you would have learnt a lesson!" _Saphira had obviously learnt of what had transpired between him and Arya last night as he had been thinking of nothing else all night. _"Right. Sorry." _

He smiled at her and focused all of his attention on finding Roran.

***

Eragon spotted Arya briefly several times throughout the duration of the day and each time he watched her progress, unaware of Saphira's annoyance until she was out of sight. She still didn't look quite right. She was holding herself in a slightly different manner. Nothing drastic, but it was enough to make a difference in _Eragon's_ opinion.

They didn't manage to find Roran until late that afternoon, after they had gone for a long fly above the Varden. The flight had managed to clear Eragon's head slightly, almost as though the rushing wind had blown away all of his unease.

Roran had greeted Eragon enthusiastically after so long apart and they made plans to have lunch with each other the next day. So Eragon was in high spirits as he and Saphira headed back to their tent together.

It wasn't until he walked past Arya's tent that he remembered his previous preoccupation. He stopped in his tracks and looked back over his shoulder at the tent. Saphira followed his gaze and moaned in frustration. _"Eragon, don't get any ideas." _

He looked back at her and said, _"I just want to apologize for my behaviour last night. I don't want her to be mad at me over something so stupid." _Saphira eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then rolled her eyes and continued walking back up the path saying, _"fine, but don't blame me if it goes badly."_

Eragon grinned at her retreating figure before hurrying towards Arya's tent.

***

Arya sighed as she walked back to her tent in the late afternoon. It had been a very long day and keeping her composure had been much more difficult than usual. She barely noticed the curious eyes that watched her as she turned down a crowded path. She was used to getting many stares when it came to dealing with humans.

She was just turning a corner, into the row with her tent, when she nearly walked into someone. It was Angela. Arya came to an abrupt halt to prevent a collision as Angela said, "Arya, good." Arya wasn't particularly in the mood to talk to anyone and made no attempt to hide her frustration.

"I'm in a hurry Angela." She said. Her voice sounded tired, liked she'd aged many years in just one day. "Well, in that case I'll get straight to the point. I do believe that I have something that might help you."

She reached inside one of her many shawls and pulled out two pieces of folded paper and handed it to Arya. "It turns out that solebum does know a little about your situation. He gave me some information last night that I thought you might like to have."

Arya's attention was now focused on the piece of paper in her hands as Angela continued, "I myself do not know anything about this- when it is related to an elf that is."

Arya nodded stiffly. They stood in silence for a moment, then "Well, I guess I will let you go then." Said Angela and without so much as a goodbye she turned on her heel and disappeared between two tents.

Arya stood where she was for a moment, and then hurried into her tent before she could be stopped by anyone else. She placed the piece of paper on her cot and stared at it for a long moment, and then, with a groan, she slumped down onto a chair across the room from it and put her face in her hands.

She was definitely not ready or in the mood to look at that piece of paper. She was sure that reading it would somehow make it final, absolute, like there was no going back. She groaned again as she attempted to ignore the churning of her stomach.

Morning sickness obviously wasn't _morning_ sickness. She had been feeling off all day. Not only had she had to put up with constantly feeling like she was going to throw up, but she also had the horrible nagging sensation at the back of her mind, telling her that she needed to make some important decisions, making her feel miserable and -if it was possible- even more ill.

She sighed again and closed her eyes, trying to block out all thought, when she heard a muffled knock, like someone attempting to rap their knuckles against canvas.

She opened her eyes and frowned at the tent flap where she could now see the shadow of someone standing outside. She was just standing up when she saw Eragon's head come through the gap and look around, attempting to see if there was anyone home.

They looked at each other for a moment then Arya fell back into her chair and allowed him to enter. She knew that this confrontation was bound to happen at some point and there was no point in putting it off any longer, though she knew that Eragon would leave the tent with no more knowledge about her behaviour than what he had had when he entered. She wasn't going to tell him anything.

Eragon was standing in the middle of the room, looking slightly confused as to what to say now that he was finally here. Arya gestured for him to sit down on the cot. He did so, but his back was ramrod straight and he looked sheepish.

She turned her back to him and busied herself getting a glass of water for both of them, taking much more time than what was necessary. What would she say? She didn't think that she could handle him attempting to discuss her supposed illness without giving something away. She was on the brink of losing it as it was, and that was while attempting not to think about it.

She took a deep breath and turned around to face Eragon, only to find him with his mouth slightly open, staring at a piece of paper in his hands. Arya dropped both glasses and they shattered on the ground.

**Well there you go guys. Quite long this time. I'm sorry again that I haven't updated in so long. Hope you enjoyed it and please leave a couple of sentences telling me what you think! Reviews do motivate me! Speak to you soon.**


	10. Authors Note! WOW!

**Hi guys!! I know, I actually posted; ITS A MIRACLE!! :] plz don't be too mad at me. A little is understandable though. I had an extremely severe writers block and could not for the life of me finish off the last chapter. People have been nagging and nagging me and for that I'm sorry but I needed a break from the story. But I'm back to writing it as we speak so hopefully I'll be able to get a new chapter up as soon as possible. You may have to remind me on occassion though. I am in the middle of exam block so its bit slow coming but I will get it up there!! Thankyou so much to all the people who stuck with this story though! I'm really grateful. It seems that the story is more popular when I don't update then when I do. LOL. well I will be back as soon as possible so until then, keep an eye out and make sure you nag me until it gets done!!! Thanks, speak to you soon.**


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